John and Diane are on board - at last!

[tennisbeforewine]

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

At Sea en route to San Francisco

 

If you’ve read my posts before, you have probably become really bored with me talking about how much I love sea days.  I think that’s one thing that most of our fellow world cruisers have in common.  Otherwise, why would you spend four months on board?  It’s a day with really nothing to do except what you want to.  If you want to listen to talks, play bridge, or whatever, these are the days for you.  During our two weeks on board, we only have four sea days, so I shall treasure each one.

 

Anyone who’s been on a cruise knows how important the crew is.  The officers are quite nice and look great in their blue and white uniforms with lots of stripes, but it’s the crew that does a great deal of the work on board.  At last evening’s Captain’s Toast, he introduced the ten top officers on board and mentioned that we have 900 crew - for only 1300 passengers.  That’s the best crew to passenger ratio we’ve ever experienced, and the service is superb.

 

We learned from our wonderful dining room stewards Armand and Naya that, although the crew has been on board for two months, they haven’t be allowed off the ship.  We imagine that it has to do with current American immigration restrictions, and hope that it will change soon.

Every crew member is double (and some triple) vaccinated, so I feel safer around them than I do walking into the grocery store.  We know how much crew members enjoy going ashore and picking up snacks and making phone calls, so we’re hoping that they’ll have that freedom before long.

 

One thing we’ve noticed as we’ve cruised up the coast is the great number of container ships here, there, and everywhere.  I know that there are lots of Christmas presents and other things

on board many of them, so we feel for the shortages that everyone is seeing.  The other thing that we’ve experienced is the enormous amount of smoke from the Alisal Fire near Santa Barbara.  In fact, when John went out onto the verandah last evening, the smell of smoke permeated the cabin.  The last I read was that it was up to 8,000 acres with zero containment, so we can only pray for progress in that area.

 

The fire has been made far worse by the weather we’ve experienced in the last 24 hours.  The wind is wild, causing not only a worsening fire but rough seas and high winds causing the outside areas of the ship to be cordoned off.  We’ve been asked to not go out on our verandahs, and I did threaten to report John to the Captain when he went outside, but then I took mercy on him.

 

Tonight is our first formal night, and we’re meeting our friend Jeff for dinner in The Pinnacle.  It will be interesting on this short cruise to see how people dress for a “Gala” night.  I’ve scaled back, realizing that since these two weeks are two separate cruises, I just have to bring two outfits, one for the first week and one for the second.  Formal gowns don’t work well with very limited luggage, so it’s just a pair of palazzo pants with different tops.

 

Tomorrow is San Francisco, a visit to which we’re looking forward because it’s one of our favorite cities.  We love to walk and walk and walk (uphill both ways, of course) and then complain about how much we had to walk.  We have several favorite restaurants and have decided that The Nob Hill Cafe will do quite nicely for lunch.  While we’d love to spend part of the evening at The Tonga Room in the Fairmont Hotel (which gives kitsch a whole new definition), I don’t think it’s open on Wednesday evenings yet.

 

So . . . now it’s time to be off to do as much or as little as I wish to do.  There are three Lincoln Center classical concerts, and I think I’ll try to make it to Mozart at 5:00.  Then there’s a private wine tasting at 2:00, and we wouldn’t miss that.  Other than those two, who knows?  See you tomorrow.

 

[oaktreerb]

@tennisbeforewine. I probably missed this but…..who is the Captain and Hotel Manager?

 

We’ll be on the 11/7 cruise and I am wondering if there will be onboard activities and/or a show for the evening of the overnight in San Francisco.  I hope they don’t just show a movie in the showroom.  Maybe you could post the daily activities for that overnight/day?  

 

Thanks for the great reporting.

 

[cccole]

Thank you for taking us along on your adventure.  It is fun to see so much excitement about the return to cruising.  Jeff Farschman has a nice photo of you and John in his blog.  I often use info that you and Jeff have used in your daily reports when traveling.  Enjoy every second of your cruise.  Cherie  

[bcummin]

Please tell Jeff that we are really enjoying his blog and exquisite photos

Thank you both for bringing us along on this cruise.  Enjoy!

Barbara

[nimi17]

On 10/10/2021 at 7:11 AM, tennisbeforewine said:

I had every intention of posting yesterday, but it just didn't work out - for very good  reasons We were so pleased that our flight didn't leave SLO until 1:48 so we would have plenty of time to get everything done in the morning.  Our friend Dave picked us up at 11:30 (can't ever get to the airport too early!) and we were dropped off at 11:45 - only to find out that our flight was delayed an hour.  Oh well, we figured, it's a nice new airport with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating so we could just relax and enjoy our seating.  Then we saw the text that said our flight would be delayed an hour an a half.  That sent us to the snack bar to indulge in a glass of local Sauvignon Blanc (more like a tasting glass, actually), and a bag of barbecue chips.  While we sat (and sat and sat), we received John's negative Covid test from CVS.  But where was mine?  I guess it was a waiting game. 

 

You know what happened next, don't you?  The next text delayed us even further.  By the time we boarded the flight, it was the actual captain who came out to explain that when the flight stopped in San Jose (San Jose?), mechanical issues meant it couldn't be flown.  I always feel better when they replace a plane instead of trying to fix it.  Then it flew to San Diego, and thence to San Luis Obispo.  Fortunately no one had a fit or tried to attack a flight attendant or even complained about wearing a mask.  It was a short, smooth flight with some beautiful views of the Channel Islands, and 45 minutes later we touched down in San Diego.  

 

We love living in a small city.  San Luis Obispo has a population of 50,000 and that's plenty for us.  But if I had to live in a big city, it would be San Diego.  It has beautiful weather, ocean all around, and a laid-back populace.  It's nice to have it only a 5-hour drive or a 45-minute flight (finally), so we'll just stay where we are.

 

We've stayed here before cruises before, and our choice of hotel is the Springhill Suites which, although it's not the cheapest (I don't think the word "cheap" fits any hotel around here), it's immediately across the road from the ship.  Usually we're excited to watch our ship sail in the morning of departure, but it's just been sitting here for several days, so we can just watch it.  

 

By the time we checked it, we were really hungry, and Miguel's had been recommended, so off we went.  It was almost a five-minute walk, even visible from our hotel room and it lived up to the recommendations.  When we checked in, we were told there would be a 40-minute wait, so we just wandered into the bar (which looks out onto the bay), found a table, and ordered the requisite margaritas.  We decided we were happy where we were, so we had the front desk folks take us off the reservation list and just stayed where we were.  My chicken enchiladas were delicious, and John really enjoyed his carne asada.  

 

By the time we finished (and the second round of margaritas hadn't arrived), we just asked for the check and headed back across the street to our really comfortable beds. 

 

This morning I checked the emails and texts and found my negative results from CVS - hooray!  On our email, there were two results from our SLO County tests - both negative and BOTH for John.  Oh well, that's why we were tested twice!

 

The view this morning is beautiful.  The ship sits there just waiting for us and 

we can't wait to board!

 

Hello, John and Diane! My husband and I are onboard and actually met in SLO ❤️❤️❤️ We hope to run into you sometime  this week and I’ll be eagerly awaiting each new post from you ✍️🛳⚓️
 

Here’s my thread if you’d like to follow along as well 

 

 

Cheers!🥂 

[nimi17]

19 hours ago, tennisbeforewine said:

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

At Sea en route to San Francisco

 

If you’ve read my posts before, you have probably become really bored with me talking about how much I love sea days.  I think that’s one thing that most of our fellow world cruisers have in common.  Otherwise, why would you spend four months on board?  It’s a day with really nothing to do except what you want to.  If you want to listen to talks, play bridge, or whatever, these are the days for you.  During our two weeks on board, we only have four sea days, so I shall treasure each one.

 

Anyone who’s been on a cruise knows how important the crew is.  The officers are quite nice and look great in their blue and white uniforms with lots of stripes, but it’s the crew that does a great deal of the work on board.  At last evening’s Captain’s Toast, he introduced the ten top officers on board and mentioned that we have 900 crew - for only 1300 passengers.  That’s the best crew to passenger ratio we’ve ever experienced, and the service is superb.

 

We learned from our wonderful dining room stewards Armand and Naya that, although the crew has been on board for two months, they haven’t be allowed off the ship.  We imagine that it has to do with current American immigration restrictions, and hope that it will change soon.

Every crew member is double (and some triple) vaccinated, so I feel safer around them than I do walking into the grocery store.  We know how much crew members enjoy going ashore and picking up snacks and making phone calls, so we’re hoping that they’ll have that freedom before long.

 

One thing we’ve noticed as we’ve cruised up the coast is the great number of container ships here, there, and everywhere.  I know that there are lots of Christmas presents and other things

on board many of them, so we feel for the shortages that everyone is seeing.  The other thing that we’ve experienced is the enormous amount of smoke from the Alisal Fire near Santa Barbara.  In fact, when John went out onto the verandah last evening, the smell of smoke permeated the cabin.  The last I read was that it was up to 8,000 acres with zero containment, so we can only pray for progress in that area.

 

The fire has been made far worse by the weather we’ve experienced in the last 24 hours.  The wind is wild, causing not only a worsening fire but rough seas and high winds causing the outside areas of the ship to be cordoned off.  We’ve been asked to not go out on our verandahs, and I did threaten to report John to the Captain when he went outside, but then I took mercy on him.

 

Tonight is our first formal night, and we’re meeting our friend Jeff for dinner in The Pinnacle.  It will be interesting on this short cruise to see how people dress for a “Gala” night.  I’ve scaled back, realizing that since these two weeks are two separate cruises, I just have to bring two outfits, one for the first week and one for the second.  Formal gowns don’t work well with very limited luggage, so it’s just a pair of palazzo pants with different tops.

 

Tomorrow is San Francisco, a visit to which we’re looking forward because it’s one of our favorite cities.  We love to walk and walk and walk (uphill both ways, of course) and then complain about how much we had to walk.  We have several favorite restaurants and have decided that The Nob Hill Cafe will do quite nicely for lunch.  While we’d love to spend part of the evening at The Tonga Room in the Fairmont Hotel (which gives kitsch a whole new definition), I don’t think it’s open on Wednesday evenings yet.

 

So . . . now it’s time to be off to do as much or as little as I wish to do.  There are three Lincoln Center classical concerts, and I think I’ll try to make it to Mozart at 5:00.  Then there’s a private wine tasting at 2:00, and we wouldn’t miss that.  Other than those two, who knows?  See you tomorrow.

 

 

Wait…I believe you were sitting across from us at the Blend event yesterday! 😅

 

Hello again from Vanni & Dan(ny)! 😆🍇🍷

[tennisbeforewine]

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

San Francisco (for two days)

 

It was perfectly beautiful sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge this morning just before sunrise.  John has already posted some of the photos of SF from the ship on Facebook (dianeandjohn st john) as we sailed along on the way to Pier 27, our home until tomorrow evening.  We were in no hurry to get off the ship, since the shore excursion we were interested (Wine tour to Sonoma) was waitlisted and we knew that all we wanted to do was walk.  

 

In anticipation of our arrival, John and I and our long-time friend Jeff Farschman had dinner together last (formal) evening in The Pinnacle.  It was delicious and the service was excellent.  Jeff had a wedge salad followed by salmon, John had crab cakes and then lamb chops, and I had a jumbo shrimp cocktail along with those lamb chops.  We each had one scoop of something cold and sweet for dessert, and left the dining room way too full.

 

A couple of you have mentioned Jeff's blog, and he really does an excellent job of it.  We ran into each other during breakfast and compared our I Phones - John's an 11, mine's a 12 mini, but Jeff's is a 13 Pro.  His definitely takes the best photos, but we're pretty happy with ours.

 

Today was a wandering around the city day.  By the time we'd returned to the ship at about 1:00, my phone showed 6.1 miles from walking up lots of hills to the Union Square area and then back through Chinatown and finally to the ship.  Who needs to go to the gym when you can take walks like that?  The weather was overcast, and at one point we had a few sprinkles, but sweaters took care of the chill.  Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer, so clothes will be a bit lighter.  (Go Giants tomorrow evening!)

 

We had intended to have lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, The Nob Hill Cafe, but discovered that, at least for now, it's not open until dinner at 5:00.  There's a solution for that:  we'll just walk back (it's just about a mile) and have dinner there.  It might call for an Uber return, though.  Since it looked like lunch on the ship, we decided to try out the New York Deli and Pizza, which we haven't tried since we were last on the Koningsdam in 2016.  The pizza was still great!

 

Since we have another day in The City, we'll have to do some more exploring and make the big decision of the day:  which restaurant to patronize for lunch.

 

In answer to some comments and questions:

 

1.  There seems to be a great deal of entertainment on tonight.  There are two movies, The Misfits (really old) on the outdoor screen, and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (huh?) in the showroom.  In addition, there are bands playing in the Rolling Stone Rock Room, Billboard Onboard, and B. B. King's Blues Club.  

2.  Candy - it was great meeting you and chatting at the SLO Airport.  We'll be doing that flight in reverse on the 24th.

3.  Nimi17 - We would have liked to meet you, but we weren't at Blend.  We did walk by the table at one point, though.

[oaktreerb]

Thank you for the entertainment report for the overnight.  I suspected movies would be the default solution.  Movies are always available in the staterooms.  I was hoping HAL might have a better offering for those who stay onboard.  At least there will be music to go along with the drink package promo!

[The-Inside-Cabin]

On 10/11/2021 at 8:47 AM, tennisbeforewine said:

 

 

Holland America is very good at showing appreciation to its faithful passengers, so there was a cocktail party from 4:00 to 5:00 for 4 and 5 star Mariners.  We met some new friends, and stayed almost until it was over.

 

 

Did people wear masks during the mariner reception?  

[tennisbeforewine]

2 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Did people wear masks during the mariner reception?  

Yes, until the wine was served. Most on board have been really good about following the mask requirements. 

[localady]

1 hour ago, tennisbeforewine said:

Yes, until the wine was served. Most on board have been really good about following the mask requirements. 

That was definitely my observation on our Nieuw Amsterdam cruise in Sept.  Everyone was compliant with the mask rules.  Occasionally, I'd run out of the room without a mask, and then run right back as soon as I realized my gaffe.  

 

[nimi17]

I’m so sorry, my mistake! 
 

Hope you’re having a lovely time so far in SF and at hope to run into soon 🥂

[The-Inside-Cabin]

14 hours ago, tennisbeforewine said:

Yes, until the wine was served. Most on board have been really good about following the mask requirements. 

I am on a flight now - with wine - mask stays on except when actually taking a sip - then back on.   Did they follow the airline rules - Masks on except when sipping?  Or masks off once you have a wine glass in your hand?

[Gretchendz]

First, thanks to you posting from the voyages. It is very enjoyable to read!  I'm going on the Nov. 7 Coastal cruise with some friends.  A couple of quick questions:

 

1) Did any of you receive upgrades or upsell offers before the cruise?  I keep thinking there should be plenty with the ship half full, but that's just my sepculation.

2) If you have the Have It All package--did you have to wait to book the shore excursion and specialty dining until onboard?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Cruise Suzy]

1 hour ago, Gretchendz said:

2) If you have the Have It All package--did you have to wait to book the shore excursion and specialty dining until onboard?

On the Website, under "Already Booked", "Manage My Bookings", "Shore Excursions" - you can book shore excursions immediately. The Specialty Dining reservations, under "Cruise Activities", will appear 2-4 months prior to your sailing. I made them on 8/18 for a 10/20/21 cruise and 10/8 for a 2/20/22 cruise. If you have Anytime Dining, you can also reserve times in the MDR under Specialty Dining.

 

Edited October 14, 2021 by Cruise Suzy

[tennisbeforewine]

5 hours ago, Cruise Suzy said:

On the Website, under "Already Booked", "Manage My Bookings", "Shore Excursions" - you can book shore excursions immediately. The Specialty Dining reservations, under "Cruise Activities", will appear 2-4 months prior to your sailing. I made them on 8/18 for a 10/20/21 cruise and 10/8 for a 2/20/22 cruise. If you have Anytime Dining, you can also reserve times in the MDR under Specialty Dining.

 

We did book specialty dining before the cruise and tried to book some shore excursions, but the ones we wanted were waitlisted so we haven't had a chance to do those.  Instead, as a last-ditch effort, we've book a wine-tasting tour out of Ensenada on Saturday.  The problem I've had with the Have It All package is that every one of the drinks I've had is listed on our statement.  I've been to the front desk twice to get that sorted, but so far no luck.  Tomorrow's a sea day, so I'm going back since I am NOT going to pay for items which I've already paid for in Have It All.  Sorry to whine, but that's been my experience so far.  

[tennisbeforewine]

 

Thursday, October 14, 2021

San Francisco -  Day 2

 

What a gorgeous day!  Yesterday was nice and a little chilly, but today there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the temperature was in the high 60’s to 70 most of the day.  It actually got to the point that I was a bit warm with a turtleneck, cotton sweater and shorts, but it was a wonderful day.

 

Yesterday we headed up the hills into downtown and all around, but today we decided to go the other way - along the bay toward the Golden Gate Bridge.  There was some question about whether we’d actually get to the bridge and, having walked that far, would walk across it.  The walk itself was gorgeous.  We walked all along the beautiful piers of San Francisco Bay, from our #27 to Pier 39 (an entertaining collection of shops and restaurants) to Fisherman’s Wharf and on past all the tourist areas.

 

San Francisco, besides being an absolutely gorgeous place, does a wonderful job of providing activity areas for its citizens.  In today’s case, it was a wide walking/jogging/biking trail from Fisherman’s Wharf to the Golden Gate Bridge.  If you like hiking, this is a trail for you.  People of all ages (mostly young, I will admit) were everywhere, and only a few bicycles came a bit too near.   One of the most interesting sights was the great number of dog walkers we saw, some by themselves and others in pairs.  It seemed that the average number of dogs per walker was about six, and each walker seemed to have a specialty:  little, medium, or large dogs.

I understand from some reading that dog-walking is a very remunerative job in big cities, as some very wealthy people like to have their furry friends well cared for.

 

As we walked along we ran into our friend Jeff Farschman who had spent the morning walking and taking photos.  I don’t know anyone who enjoys his photography more than Jeff, and after we took photos of each other, we kept on toward the bridge and Jeff headed back toward the ship.

 

After another mile or so, we realized we had a choice:  either continue walking to the bridge (perhaps across the 1.7 mile length of it) and then Uber back to the ship, or turn around and walk back, stopping at Boudin Bakery for lunch.  After having covered about four and a half miles already, we decided that the second choice was the best.  After we turned around and headed back, we ran into Jeff - again!) and some other world cruise friends.  Howard was quite unhappy with Boudin Bakery because they didn’t sell boudin, or French white or blood sausage (yes, I know - yuck!), so we explained to him that the founder was named Monsieur Boudin.

 

Along with Jeff, we continued our walk toward the ship, but when we arrived at our lunch spot, we split up, Jeff continuing on to the ship to look at his photos and post many of them and the two of us entering Boudin for lunch.  It’s an interesting bakery, having been founded in 1849 along with the California Gold Rush.  M. Boudin, a French immigrant, brought along his grandmother’s recipe for sourdough bread and, believe it or not (it really IS true), all of the bread to this day uses the original mother dough.  If you’ve ever made sourdough bread, you know that you are supposed to save part of the dough, add flour and water, and let it “proof” to get the sour taste.  That’s how the same dough that M. Boudin began with in 1849 continues to 2021.

 

So . . . what did we have?  Clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl, of course.  I love clam chowder and I just had to have some sourdough.  I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, so I was also raised with sourdough bread.  For some people the taste is a little “sharp,” but John and I love it, even though there’s no way I can finish a one-pound loaf that’s been hollowed out for my chowder.  Needless to say, we enjoyed our lunch. We also picked up a loaf of sourdough for a young lady who serves us whenever we need something at breakfast on the Lido.  She's heard all about sourdough bread, but because the crew is not allowed to get off the ship on this cruise, she was disappointed to not be able to try it.  We hope she's pleased.  

 

Now that we’re back at the ship, after 6.9 miles) it’s time to get really nervous about the results of the Giants/Dodgers Game 5 for all the marbles.  Right now it’s 6:00 and the first pitch will be thrown at 6:07 right here in SF.  I’ll hold my breath and follow along online after we sail and Verizon goes out of range.  Oh my!

[Florida_gal_50]

20 minutes ago, tennisbeforewine said:

We did book specialty dining before the cruise and tried to book some shore excursions, but the ones we wanted were waitlisted so we haven't had a chance to do those.  Instead, as a last-ditch effort, we've book a wine-tasting tour out of Ensenada on Saturday.  The problem I've had with the Have It All package is that every one of the drinks I've had is listed on our statement.  I've been to the front desk twice to get that sorted, but so far no luck.  Tomorrow's a sea day, so I'm going back since I am NOT going to pay for items which I've already paid for in Have It All.  Sorry to whine, but that's been my experience so far.  

That is ridiculous.  I believe this also happened on the n Amsterdam.  Why must it be so difficult?

[san diego spartan]

39 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

That is ridiculous.  I believe this also happened on the n Amsterdam.  Why must it be so difficult?

Totally agree that is so frustrating. Nobody wants to spend the majority of their time at the front desk trying to get this worked out. I actually on Holland America cruise is the last two times to Alaska in 2018 and 2019 had many difficulties with our bills having to go to the front desk several times the correct. I'm sad to see that this is also happening again.

[san diego spartan]

1 hour ago, tennisbeforewine said:

 

Thursday, October 14, 2021

San Francisco -  Day 2

 

What a gorgeous day!  Yesterday was nice and a little chilly, but today there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the temperature was in the high 60’s to 70 most of the day.  It actually got to the point that I was a bit warm with a turtleneck, cotton sweater and shorts, but it was a wonderful day.

 

Yesterday we headed up the hills into downtown and all around, but today we decided to go the other way - along the bay toward the Golden Gate Bridge.  There was some question about whether we’d actually get to the bridge and, having walked that far, would walk across it.  The walk itself was gorgeous.  We walked all along the beautiful piers of San Francisco Bay, from our #27 to Pier 39 (an entertaining collection of shops and restaurants) to Fisherman’s Wharf and on past all the tourist areas.

 

San Francisco, besides being an absolutely gorgeous place, does a wonderful job of providing activity areas for its citizens.  In today’s case, it was a wide walking/jogging/biking trail from Fisherman’s Wharf to the Golden Gate Bridge.  If you like hiking, this is a trail for you.  People of all ages (mostly young, I will admit) were everywhere, and only a few bicycles came a bit too near.   One of the most interesting sights was the great number of dog walkers we saw, some by themselves and others in pairs.  It seemed that the average number of dogs per walker was about six, and each walker seemed to have a specialty:  little, medium, or large dogs.

I understand from some reading that dog-walking is a very remunerative job in big cities, as some very wealthy people like to have their furry friends well cared for.

 

As we walked along we ran into our friend Jeff Farschman who had spent the morning walking and taking photos.  I don’t know anyone who enjoys his photography more than Jeff, and after we took photos of each other, we kept on toward the bridge and Jeff headed back toward the ship.

 

After another mile or so, we realized we had a choice:  either continue walking to the bridge (perhaps across the 1.7 mile length of it) and then Uber back to the ship, or turn around and walk back, stopping at Boudin Bakery for lunch.  After having covered about four and a half miles already, we decided that the second choice was the best.  After we turned around and headed back, we ran into Jeff - again!) and some other world cruise friends.  Howard was quite unhappy with Boudin Bakery because they didn’t sell boudin, or French white or blood sausage (yes, I know - yuck!), so we explained to him that the founder was named Monsieur Boudin.

 

Along with Jeff, we continued our walk toward the ship, but when we arrived at our lunch spot, we split up, Jeff continuing on to the ship to look at his photos and post many of them and the two of us entering Boudin for lunch.  It’s an interesting bakery, having been founded in 1849 along with the California Gold Rush.  M. Boudin, a French immigrant, brought along his grandmother’s recipe for sourdough bread and, believe it or not (it really IS true), all of the bread to this day uses the original mother dough.  If you’ve ever made sourdough bread, you know that you are supposed to save part of the dough, add flour and water, and let it “proof” to get the sour taste.  That’s how the same dough that M. Boudin began with in 1849 continues to 2021.

 

So . . . what did we have?  Clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl, of course.  I love clam chowder and I just had to have some sourdough.  I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, so I was also raised with sourdough bread.  For some people the taste is a little “sharp,” but John and I love it, even though there’s no way I can finish a one-pound loaf that’s been hollowed out for my chowder.  Needless to say, we enjoyed our lunch. We also picked up a loaf of sourdough for a young lady who serves us whenever we need something at breakfast on the Lido.  She's heard all about sourdough bread, but because the crew is not allowed to get off the ship on this cruise, she was disappointed to not be able to try it.  We hope she's pleased.  

 

Now that we’re back at the ship, after 6.9 miles) it’s time to get really nervous about the results of the Giants/Dodgers Game 5 for all the marbles.  Right now it’s 6:00 and the first pitch will be thrown at 6:07 right here in SF.  I’ll hold my breath and follow along online after we sail and Verizon goes out of range.  Oh my!

Thanks for your posting have enjoyed reading your thread and about your cruise. Watching your Giants game right now fingers crossed for you.

[Gretchendz]

On 10/14/2021 at 4:12 PM, Cruise Suzy said:

On the Website, under "Already Booked", "Manage My Bookings", "Shore Excursions" - you can book shore excursions immediately. The Specialty Dining reservations, under "Cruise Activities", will appear 2-4 months prior to your sailing. I made them on 8/18 for a 10/20/21 cruise and 10/8 for a 2/20/22 cruise. If you have Anytime Dining, you can also reserve times in the MDR under Specialty Dining.

 

 

Thanks--I just wanted tro be sure that if I booked an excursion, for example, now--that it would go against my Have It All credit--some cruise lines make you wait until you are onbaord to book the promotional ones.

[oaktreerb]

On 10/14/2021 at 12:03 PM, Gretchendz said:

First, thanks to you posting from the voyages. It is very enjoyable to read!  I'm going on the Nov. 7 Coastal cruise with some friends.  A couple of quick questions:

 

1) Did any of you receive upgrades or upsell offers before the cruise?  I keep thinking there should be plenty with the ship half full, but that's just my sepculation.

2) If you have the Have It All package--did you have to wait to book the shore excursion and specialty dining until onboard?

 

Thanks in advance!

Upsell offers went out today for verandas and v suites.  We are three weeks out from sailing and they are reported on our roll call for 11/7 Koningsdam.

[tennisbeforewine]

Friday, October 15, 2021 (

At Sea en route to Ensenada, Mexico

Happy Birthday to Me!

 

It’s our second and final sea day with lots to do.  The first thing I noticed this morning was that the internet was painfully slow.  Our daughter had sent me a Jacquie Lawson birthday card, and I never could get it to upload.  Maybe if I had waited another 20 minutes, but I’m not that patient.  After the gym/breakfast/shower routine, I spent some time at the front desk trying to get more info about why these drink charges keep showing up, even though we have the “Have It All” package which includes 15 drinks a day! - which I can’t imagine consuming.  A kind young man named Daniel was the third in that area to try to help me, but apparently it’s an IT problem that he is sure “will be taken care of before the end of the cruise.”

 

When we returned to our cabin last evening, we found the folded piece of card stock which usually signals, “You’ve got an invitation!”  Well we did have an invitation, but no drinks or hors d’oeuvres are included.  It merely told us to be in the Hudson Room at 2:05 PM for a Covid test.  Apparently everyone who is staying on for the next cruise must have this done, so we’ll be there - probably early in hopes of getting it done early.

 

The other card really WAS an invitation. At 4:00 we are to present ourselves - cleaned up and on our best behavior - at the MainStage (which will always be the Queen’s Lounge to me) to have the officers tell us how wonderful we are for having accumulated the large number of days we have spent thoroughly enjoying ourselves aboard HAL ships.  Actually, John and I had a discussion in which we realized that neither of us really knows, even within a hundred, how many days we have.  I know that the large number that always pops up is only the “informal” one, but it’s the actual “feet on the ship” days that count toward any further awards.  We’ll attend, have a photo with the captain, drink a glass of something, and then head back to the cabin to put on the shorts and tee shirts.

 

For this momentous celebration (and it doesn’t even end with a zero), we’ll be having dinner in the Tamarind Restaurant, described as a “Pan Asian dining experience.”  Jeff will be joining us and Manny will be our sommelier for the evening.  Since we began our cruise with a $100 cruise credit (either from HAL or our cruise agent - I’m not sure), I’m planning on spending most of it on a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Champagne - one of my very favorites.  Of course it’s terribly overpriced, but heck, I’m not paying for it!  Adjoining the Tamarind is a beautiful little cocktail lounge which used to be called The Silk Bar, which I loved, but now has a new name which I haven’t even learned yet.  I do wish they’d stop changing names of things.  At my (new) age, it’s hard enough to remember the original names, let alone the new ones!

 

Our granddaughter just texted me to ask if she could FaceTime to wish me a Happy Birthday, but that is best done in the cabin, so off I go so Jessica and I can have some grandma/granddaughter time.  Then I’ll be off to enjoy the rest of MY day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tennisbeforewine]

Saturday, October 16, 2021

Ensenada, Mexico

 

Between last evening and today, we’ve been two busy bees.  Since it was my birthday, I got to choose where to have dinner.  I love Tamarind, and I equally love its bar, formerly called The Silk Room but now re-named The Panorama Bar.  We met Jeff there at 7:00 and chatted and took pictures (with Jeff, that’s a given) and had a cocktail until it was time for our dinner reservation at 7:30.

 

The whole setting in The Tamarind is just so darned peaceful.  It’s a bit dark and people seem to talk in low voices. We began with the wonderful bubbly that I mentioned yesterday while we were served large shrimp  crackers with three sauces:  warm, medium, and burn your lips off.

I’m a sissy, so I stuck to the first one.  For a starter, Jeff loves the tempera shrimp, while John had the Chinese five-spice baby back ribs, and I had the satay sampler.  They all looked and smelled wonderful, and my satay was delicious.

 

For mains, John and Jeff both had the Panang Red Curry Coconut Chicken which is served with jasmine rice, while I had the Mongolian Barbecue  Lamb Chops.  After having lamb chops in both The Pinnacle and Tamarind, I think it’s time to broaden my palate.  Jeff passed on dessert, but John and I shared a Mango Posset, which was a coconut macaroon with some passion fruit jelly and topped with a small scoop of mango sorbet.  It was so good I kept wishing I didn’t have to share.

 

Dinner was followed by visits to both the Rock and Roll Room and the “Dueling Pianos,” and then, since my eyes were having a hard time staying open, it was time for bed.  It was a wonderful birthday!

 

Since our “Have it All” package gave us $100 toward a shore excursion, today was our last chance to use it, so we booked the Calafia Valley Wine Country excursion.  It turned out to be a great choice.  We climbed aboard a large, comfortable bus and drove for almost an hour out into the countryside.  We could have been driving through desert country anywhere in the Western United States or even North Africa.  Cactus was everywhere and houses were few and far between.  Apparently this environment is very kind to some kinds of wine grapes, and our tour included visits (and tastings at) two lovely wineries.  The first was La Casa de Dona Lupe, where we tasted four of their wines and had some great snacks, including freshly made pizza and a couple types of bread.  The area where we sat overlooked the rocky hills behind the winery and would have been a beautiful setting for a wedding or other celebration.  The Argentinian violinist who played during our visit just added another plus.

 

Then it was time to leave, but a very short drive took us to L. A. Cetto winery, which we were told is the largest winery in Mexico.  A tour of the production facility was impressive; the oak barrels extended as far as we could see inside of the huge facility.  We learned a lot, but then came what we had been looking forward to:  the wine tasting.  We tried two whites and two reds, along with a local bread, olives, and pieces of cheese - Monterey Jack from Costco, we were surprised to learn.  The piece de resistance, of course, was the bottle of Cabernet/Malbec which was presented to us as we re-boarded the bus.

 

All in all it was a great excursion.  We arrived back at the ship at around 1:00, and after a fairly brief break (not for lunch - we were full from the excursion), we headed out for a walk through the downtown area of Ensenada.  It’s really a cute little area, the highlight of which is the number of small cafes and Mexican (what else?) restaurants lining the streets.  We picked up a postcard for our granddaughter, poked around a few shops, and then headed back to the ship.

 

It had been a beautiful day, sunny with the temperatures in the high 70’s.  Right now we’re sailing very slowly toward San Diego, only 87 miles away.  John just looked outside and said that it seems we’re hardly moving at all - probably because we have 14 hours to sail 87 miles.

We’re looking forward to a full day in San Diego, and then we begin another adventure to Mexico.

 

P. S.  The reason I’m posting two at once is that the internet on the ship has been very far from mediocre for the last two days, so in San Diego I’m planning to find the nearest Starbucks and post both of them.

[cunnorl]

 Happy Birthday! Have a wonderful day and many many more!